Chapter 207: Chapter 123: A Breathtaking Glance, Shaking Qinghe Again

"Hmph, I knew it. Arrogant, conceited people never come to a good end. He boasted that he would challenge the entire city, and what happened? In just his second match, he’s run into someone who counters him. Zhong Ming has made a complete joke of himself."

"And Qingyue... being dragged down by this insufferably arrogant subordinate of hers, she’ll lose all face as well."

"I said it long ago. Someone so ostentatious is completely unreliable..."

As Ji Chengping spoke of his own foresight, Ji Qingkang and Ji Qinghui exchanged a speechless glance.

For someone who could counter Zhong Ming’s abilities to appear in only the second duel made them think that things wouldn’t end well for him either.

However, being more discreet, they wouldn’t voice their opinions so readily before the matter was concluded, even if they had their own preferences.

Ji Chengping thought he had great foresight. Ji Qinghui and Ji Qingkang just thought he was rash.

’If Black Snake wins, that’s one thing. But if he loses, then our dear older brother will be the one who looks like a fool...’

Before he could finish the thought, Ji Qinghui’s expression faltered. The situation in the distance had already changed.

...

"Thank me? I’ll accept. You really should be grateful that when faced with an idiot like you, I’ve chosen not to kill you. You should thank me for my mercy."

Zhong Ming was left speechless by the sight of Black Snake conjuring the Mist and acting as if he’d already won.

He had countless ways to deal with this black Mist.

For instance, relying on the Morning Star: Candlelight Dragon’s control over the weather of the four seasons, he could scatter this black Mist with a single breath.

Or he could draw the moisture from the air, turning the black Mist into ice crystals.

But in the end, he did neither. Instead, he simply opened his left eye a little wider.

BOOM!

As his eye opened wider, countless flames surged within his pupil.

The blazing flames activated [As Clear as Daylight] and [True Sight], allowing Zhong Ming to effortlessly pierce through the black Mist and spot Black Snake, who was manipulating it while trying to advance unseen.

At that moment, Black Snake was smirking at Zhong Ming’s words.

Eager to seize this golden opportunity to build his reputation, he didn’t hold back. Channeling his Magical Power, he shouted coldly at Zhong Ming, "Zhong Ming, Young Master Zhu’s assessment of you was right! You’re far too arrogant and completely ignorant of your own limits."

"Your greatest strength has been countered by me. This time, you lose—"

He couldn’t finish his sentence. Zhong Ming’s scorching gaze fell upon him, sending a jolt of shock through his heart.

Instinctively, he raised his head and looked in Zhong Ming’s direction.

And then, despite the thick Mist, he saw Zhong Ming’s eyes. He even saw the candlelight within his pupils.

At that moment, the miserable fate of Zhong Ming’s previous opponents repeated itself.

VMMMM!

The instant the candlelight entered his vision, Black Snake felt it erupt, transforming into a blazing Great Sun.

The magnificent Great Sun filled his entire field of vision, and its brilliant light forced a piercing wail from his lips.

And then... there was nothing else.

Zhong Ming hadn’t even unleashed his Great Sun Divine Sword, yet Black Snake’s Soul Spirit had already been incinerated by the endless light and heat blooming from the Great Sun.

’How could he be so weak...’

Sensing carefully for a moment, Zhong Ming discovered the reason.

One reason Black Snake had met such a miserable end was that his own Soul Spirit was too weak.

Although Zhong Ming’s previous opponents had also been defeated with a single glance, they were either Inner Sect Disciples of the Void Moon Sect, or the head disciples of the Water Nether Sect or the Star-Picking Sect.

As the most outstanding disciples of small and medium-sized sects, while they couldn’t compare to the True Inheritance disciples of Major Sects, they were still elites among thousands of young Cultivators. As such, their Divine Souls were quite strong.

Zhuo Feng of the Star-Picking Sect had even nurtured a Conceptual Intent and had managed to clash once with Zhong Ming’s Great Sun Divine Sword. In some respects, he and Zhong Ming were Cultivators of the same tier; his foundation just wasn’t as profound.

Black Snake, on the other hand, was purely relying on his black Mist countering Zhong Ming, hoping to score a cheap victory.

With his mind solely focused on trickery, his Divine Soul was exceptionally weak.

Of course, that alone would have only left him severely injured, not dead. After all, Zhong Ming’s Divine Sword hadn’t even been unleashed.

The primary reason his Divine Soul was burned to ash was that he, a Loose Cultivator, had slaughtered countless humans in the past to practice his techniques.

That black Mist had been refined from the resentful energy of humans—in its full-power state, vengeful spirits would be wailing within it.

Because the Qinghe Commandery Mansion was a government authority and part of the Righteous Sect, he had taken some care to conceal this aspect of his power.

Unfortunately, while he had hidden it well, he never expected that Zhong Ming’s Candlelight Heart Eye inherently possessed Breaking Evil Golden Light.

Cultivating with the living souls of humans undoubtedly made him an Evil Cultivator. As a result, he triggered the special property of Breaking Evil Golden Light, causing the damage from the Flame of the Sun to instantly multiply several times over.

...

With his Divine Soul incinerated, Black Snake died on the spot.

His death also caused the black Mist he had gathered to dissipate.

With the Mist gone, Black Snake’s body, floating on the lake’s surface, was revealed to all.

"???"

"With a single glance again?"

"But why? I’m not surprised he lost, but didn’t his black Mist counter Young Master Zhong Ming’s Pupil Technique? He should have been able to force Young Master Zhong Ming to reveal more of his abilities!"

Not immediately realizing that Black Snake’s Divine Soul had been completely annihilated, the crowd on the Crescent Lake Shore began to discuss why his ability had had no effect on Zhong Ming whatsoever.

To this, someone readily offered an answer.